‘Protect your wife’ – Chelsea hero’s advice for defending corners leaves hosts in stitches
It feels like increasingly fewer players actually care about the ball at corners. Arsenal set pieces look more like an NFL playoff game – with Declan Rice the quarterback, Gabriel the wide receiver, and everyone else just trying to block or avoid being blocked. Arsenal corners continue to strike fear into Premier League oppositionGetty Chelsea were the latest victims of corner chaos in the Premier LeagueGetty But for Chelsea cult hero Mario Melchiot, it was always so much more than a melee: it was romance. On Monday night, the Dutchman’s former side were so worried about Wolves bodies at a corner that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez forgot to catch the ball. Matt Doherty duly gobbled up the scraps, although it mattered not, as the Blues restored their lead and won 3-1. Still, talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling was left baffled by Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella for neglecting the ball. Melchiot joined the Breakfast Show on Tuesday morning to discuss whether or not the game has, in fact, gone. Once upon a time, Melchiot only had eyes for the ball – until iconic Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly told him to treat corners like a love story. “It always was a difficult moment for a defender but also for the attackers,” Melchiot told Stelling and co-host Ally McCoist. “But now everybody is trying every trick in the book to score that goal and I think that is what makes it really difficult for anybody. “I’m going to tell you, it was kind of funny from Marcel Desailly, he told me once, ‘Listen, when it’s a corner or a free-kick, see the player that you’re marking like your wife. Do you want anybody to get to your wife?’ “I said, ‘No’. He said, ‘Then make sure that you mark him like he is your wife’. And I said, ‘Okay’. Desailly had Chelsea defending corners like they were protecting their wivesGetty The lesson left a lasting impression on MelchiotGetty “And that is for me when I started to grab people and push people around. “And he said, ‘Don’t get bullied because you don’t want to get bullied protecting your wife, do you?’ I said, ‘No’. He said, ‘Okay, then take care of her’. That’s what he said.” The analogy sent Stelling and McCoist into fits of laughter. Although Rangers legend McCoist wasn’t sure that would be so effective among his former teammates. “Mario, I played with a couple of defenders, their marking would have been terrible, I can tell you that, mate,” McCoist joked. Melchiot responded: “Maybe they wanted to get out of the situation, I’m telling you.” McCoist and Stelling couldn’t contain their laughter at Melchiot’s story In more serious news, the victory ended a five-match winless run for the Blues in the Premier League and put them back in the top four. They travel to a resurgent Manchester City on Saturday – who are two points behind in fifth. “I said it from the beginning of the season,” Melchiot added. “I will never change my mind. They have to get top four. “And I think that should have been the target because people were talking about Chelsea winning the title. “No, guys, get yourself in the Champions League first. That is the main focus and should be the main focus. “Get yourself there and then look at what comes after.” Match Stats
It feels like increasingly fewer players actually care about the ball at corners.
Arsenal set pieces look more like an NFL playoff game – with Declan Rice the quarterback, Gabriel the wide receiver, and everyone else just trying to block or avoid being blocked.
But for Chelsea cult hero Mario Melchiot, it was always so much more than a melee: it was romance.
On Monday night, the Dutchman’s former side were so worried about Wolves bodies at a corner that goalkeeper Robert Sanchez forgot to catch the ball.
Matt Doherty duly gobbled up the scraps, although it mattered not, as the Blues restored their lead and won 3-1.
Still, talkSPORT host Jeff Stelling was left baffled by Nicolas Jackson and Marc Cucurella for neglecting the ball.
Melchiot joined the Breakfast Show on Tuesday morning to discuss whether or not the game has, in fact, gone.
Once upon a time, Melchiot only had eyes for the ball – until iconic Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly told him to treat corners like a love story.
“It always was a difficult moment for a defender but also for the attackers,” Melchiot told Stelling and co-host Ally McCoist.
“But now everybody is trying every trick in the book to score that goal and I think that is what makes it really difficult for anybody.
“I’m going to tell you, it was kind of funny from Marcel Desailly, he told me once, ‘Listen, when it’s a corner or a free-kick, see the player that you’re marking like your wife. Do you want anybody to get to your wife?’
“I said, ‘No’. He said, ‘Then make sure that you mark him like he is your wife’. And I said, ‘Okay’.
“And that is for me when I started to grab people and push people around.
“And he said, ‘Don’t get bullied because you don’t want to get bullied protecting your wife, do you?’ I said, ‘No’. He said, ‘Okay, then take care of her’. That’s what he said.”
The analogy sent Stelling and McCoist into fits of laughter.
Although Rangers legend McCoist wasn’t sure that would be so effective among his former teammates.
“Mario, I played with a couple of defenders, their marking would have been terrible, I can tell you that, mate,” McCoist joked.
Melchiot responded: “Maybe they wanted to get out of the situation, I’m telling you.”
In more serious news, the victory ended a five-match winless run for the Blues in the Premier League and put them back in the top four.
They travel to a resurgent Manchester City on Saturday – who are two points behind in fifth.
“I said it from the beginning of the season,” Melchiot added. “I will never change my mind. They have to get top four.
“And I think that should have been the target because people were talking about Chelsea winning the title.
“No, guys, get yourself in the Champions League first. That is the main focus and should be the main focus.
“Get yourself there and then look at what comes after.”
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